Paolo Buffa Mid-Century Wooden Desk with Drawers
View Similar Items
Paolo Buffa Mid-Century Wooden Desk with Drawers
About the Item
- Creator:Paolo Buffa (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29.53 in (75 cm)Width: 34.26 in (87 cm)Depth: 19.69 in (50 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Wood
- Place of Origin:Italy
- Period:1950-1959
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. The desk is in good and original vintage condition, with very noticeable scratches and signs of wear, as in the top, consistent with time and use.
- Seller Location:Milano, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4911231541742
Paolo Buffa
With a surname that loosely translates to a synonym for “bizarre” in Italian, Milanese designer and architect Paolo Buffa is best known for capturing the best of both old and new in his plush, enveloping lounge chairs and wingback chairs as well as his range of modern tables, each dazzling and provocative but built using classical techniques.
Purposely playful and airy, mid-century Italian interiors encouraged merriment and socializing. Buffa’s work was well suited to this, but unlike the postwar designers who established recognizable trademarks and signatures, his vintage furniture for Cassina and other firms — the sculptural side tables and case pieces of walnut and solid oak, the luxurious sheepskin sofas — differed considerably from one design to the next, making them appealing to a range of interior decorators and socialites with specific taste. The son of a highly sought-after artist, Giovanni Buffa, Paolo graduated in 1927 from Politecnico di Milano. He then spent time working under architects and designers Gio Ponti and Emilio Lancia. Ponti, who himself crafted thousands of furnishings and endlessly creative rooms, was so taken with the young designer that in 1928 he featured his simple and elegant rosewood dressing table in his new magazine, Domus.
After opening a firm with his regular collaborator Antonio Cassi Ramelli, Buffa became one of the leading tastemakers of Italian mid-century modern furnishings, designing for villas and residential buildings across the country. His style was a mix of Art Deco, Rationalism, neoclassicism and a bit of whimsy. He used high-quality materials and regularly worked with local ateliers known for their fine craftsmanship to produce his designs, such as Serafino Arrighi and Marelli & Colico. In 1940, he partnered with the Mario Quarti furniture studio on the royal palace of Albania’s King Zog, with Buffa designing the furniture, and in 1951, Egypt’s King Farouk enlisted him to redecorate his yacht.
While Buffa’s transcendent pieces are now collector’s items, there are a few still in production, such as those he made with Angelo Marelli. His eponymous firm, the Italian furniture producer Eredi Marelli, still manufactures some designs based on Buffa’s archives.
Find a collection of vintage Paolo Buffa furniture today on 1stDibs.
- Italian Mid-century Small Wooden TableLocated in Milano, ITBeautiful Italian wooden desk made in the 1950s, from the house on Lake Como, of fine Italian craftsmanship. The desk is finely crafted in wood. The frame is supported by four wooden legs, thin and very distinctive, but powerful and strong. The top is also made of fine wood, very durable, and shows the very elegant wood grain. The top contains two small drawers, useful for resting documents or writing objects. The two drawers open via semi-rectangular brass handles. The vintage wooden desk...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Paolo Buffa Rare Pink Glass Coffee Tables for ArrighiBy Paolo Buffa, Serafino ArrighiLocated in Milano, ITVery rare pair of triangular coffee tables designed by the great Paolo Buffa for Serafino Arrighi production, with surveyed drawing attesting to the authenticity of the piece. The sm...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsMirror, Wood
- Vintage Writing Desk in Wood and Glass with ArmchairLocated in Milano, ITGorgeous vintage wooden and glass desk of fine Italian manufacture from the rationalist period of the 1920s/30s. The vintage writing desk is very rare and distinctive. The top is made entirely of clear glass, elegant and fine, rectangular shape, with some brass elements to give more stability. The top fits perfectly into the wooden frame. The base is the centerpiece, with its sinuous shapes worthy of such a rare piece. The base is made totally of light blue wood, beautiful and rare. The shapes are asymmetrical and resemble those of a Greek capital...Category
Vintage 1920s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Italian Mid-Century Wooden and Glass Writing DeskLocated in Milano, ITCute wooden writing desk of fine Italian manufacture from the 1950s. The desk is made in the frame entirely of fine, light-coloured wood. The legs supporting the structure are long...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Paolo Buffa Mid-Century Sideboard in WoodBy Paolo BuffaLocated in Milano, ITBeautiful wooden sideboard designed by Paolo Buffa in the 1950s of fine Italian manufacture. The sideboard is made of a very beautiful and distinctive light wood. There are two wood...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Sideboards
MaterialsBrass
- Italian Dining Table in the Style of Paolo Buffa in Wood, Brass and Smoked GlassBy Paolo BuffaLocated in Milano, ITItalian dining table in the style of Paolo Buffa from the 1950s. The table has wood grain and small painted elements in its legs. The table legs have a prism shape and as a final e...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Italian Midcentury Writing Desk Attributed to Paolo BuffaBy Paolo BuffaLocated in Rome, ITThis stunning and impressive Italian executive desk with finished brass sabots and seven drawers.Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsWood
$6,150 Sale Price20% Off - Le Bureau de Paolo Wooden Desk with several drawersBy Sam BaronLocated in Roma, ITLe bureau de Paolo is a desk constituted of wide variety of boxes and drawers. These boxes have a structural function: They compose the feet of the desk to w...Category
2010s Italian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsTeak
$38,443 / item - Paolo Buffa grissinato wood desk with four drawers, Italy 1940sBy Galdino Maspero, Paolo BuffaLocated in Milan, ITSplendid and essential Paolo Buffa Desk in grissinato wood with four drawers and saber legs. Iconic Paolo Buffa design manufactured by Galdino Maspero, Italy 1940sCategory
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsWood
- Italian Mid-Century Double-Sided Desk by Paolo Buffa, 1950sBy Paolo BuffaLocated in Traversetolo, ITStunning Italian double-sided desk of the 1950s, attributable to the design of Paolo Buffa. It’s equipped with eight drawers per side, all lockable, and it’s in very good condition o...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsWood
- Paolo Buffa wooden table 1950sBy Paolo BuffaLocated in bari, ITSimple but elegant inlaid and worked wood table attributed to the early work of Paolo Buffa late 1950s. The table presents two hidden drawers that, in addition to being storage, can ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Tables
MaterialsWood
- Italian Mid-Century Stately Wooden Desk with Glass Top, 1950sBy Gio PontiLocated in Milan, ITItalian mid-century stately wooden desk with glass top 1950s Sturdy multipurpose desk with eight symmetrical drawers, on either side. The glas...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsGlass, Wood
